Four Corners of Law

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The Four Corners of Law is a term commonly used to refer to the intersection of Meeting and Broad Streets in Charleston, South Carolina. [1] It was coined in the 1930s by Robert Ripley, creator of Ripley's Believe it or Not! [2] and refers to the buildings occupying the four corners of the intersection:

Charleston, South Carolina City in the United States

Charleston is the oldest and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston–Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline and is located on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean formed by the confluence of the Ashley, Cooper, and Wando rivers. Charleston had an estimated population of 136,208 in 2018. The estimated population of the Charleston metropolitan area, comprising Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties, was 787,643 residents as of 2018, the third-largest in the state and the 78th-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States.

Robert Ripley American cartoonist

LeRoy Robert Ripley was an American cartoonist, entrepreneur, and amateur anthropologist who is known for creating the Ripley's Believe It or Not! newspaper panel series, radio show, and television show which feature odd facts from around the world.

  1. St. Michael's Anglican Church (Charleston, South Carolina), constructed between 1752 and 1761, stands on the southeast corner of the intersection.
  2. On the northeast corner of the Four Corners is Charleston City Hall, constructed in the Adamesque style between 1800 and 1804.
  3. Across the street, on the northwest corner, stands the Charleston County Courthouse. Originally constructed in 1753 as South Carolina's provincial capital, the building was rebuilt in 1792 for use as a courthouse.
  4. On the southwest corner is the United States Post Office and Federal Courthouse, built in 1896. [1]

The term "Four Corners of Law" represents the presence of institutions representing federal, state, local and ecclesiastical law on each corner of the intersection. [1]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "GSA – U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, Charleston, SC". General Services Administration. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  2. Barefoot, Daniel W. (1999). Touring South Carolina's Revolutionary War Sites. John F. Blair. p. 75. ISBN   9780895874795. OCLC   41439715.